Indwelling medical devices such as an indwelling catheter are inserted within the body for prolonged periods of time. As an indwelling catheter can remain in the body without being in active use, the port of entry for infusions can be closed. Many devices, including vascular catheters, frequently use luer connectors to be able to connect infusion devices such as syringes. When an indwelling catheter is not in use, a cap that provides an airtight seal can be utilized to prevent access by unwanted fluids, gases, or microbes.
Additionally, indwelling medical devices such as indwelling catheters and vascular catheters are prone to causing catheter-related infections. For instance, contamination of the catheter hub and subsequent colonization of catheters by microbes as well as formation of a bacterial biofilm on the external and internal surfaces are common causes for catheter related infections. Catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSI) are caused by intraluminal contaminants. Therefore, when a vascular catheter is not in use it can be filled with fluid and the connector at the end of the vascular catheter can be capped, in a procedure known as catheter locking. Catheter locking also provides a hydraulic barrier to formation of air pockets, which if subsequently flushed can cause emboli. Catheter lock solutions containing salts of citrate, ethanol, EDTA, antibiotics, and methylene blue are commonly used. Most of these lock solutions decrease the occurrences of CRBSI, when the solutions indwell for extended periods of time while the lumen is not in use. However, locking and flushing catheters can require a health care provider to execute numerous steps. These steps can include removing a cap from the luer of an extension line, affixing an infusing device (typically a syringe) containing the fluid to be infused, infusing the fluid into the lumen of the catheter using positive pressure, removing the infusion device, and recapping the luer. During the course of performing these steps it is possible for a health care provider to drop or misplace components, or for the components to become contaminated with microbes. This is especially possible with smaller components such as the luer cap itself.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a device and method that solves the aforementioned problems and would eliminate the steps of detaching the delivery device and then obtaining a separate cap to provide closure until further use is necessary.